Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., on Feb. 23 reintroduced the Chloe Cole Act of 2026, federal legislation that would protect children from being subjected to “gender transition” procedures.
The bill, H.R. 5483, would bar doctors from using puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgical procedures to alter a minor’s sex characteristics, effectively protecting anyone under 18 from such practices. It would also create a legal pathway for children who suffered such procedures to file civil lawsuits against medical providers once they turn 18. Parents would also be permitted to sue in certain cases.
Onder first introduced similar legislation in September 2025, but the measure stalled in committee.
“As a member of Congress, a physician, a parent, and a concerned American, I am committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of our nation’s children,” Onder said in a press release. “The importance of this legislation is non-negotiable. This is a landmark bill that will permanently end one of the most dangerous and barbaric medical practices in modern history.”
The legislation is named after Chloe Cole, a Catholic detransitioner who has spoken out publicly against the double mastectomy and hormone treatments she underwent at 15 years old.
“While we’ve made significant strides in raising awareness and enacting protections in recent years, the fight is far from over,” Cole said in the release. “Too many children remain at risk of irreversible harm from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures pushed on them before they can fully understand the consequences.”
CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt also praised the bill in the release, saying U.S. law must reflect the biological reality that sex cannot change.
“Embracing her Catholic faith gave Chloe the strength to fight back. Chloe’s courage and this legislation constitute a direct rebuke to those who profit from mutilating minors and dare to call it ‘care,’” Reinhardt said. “Children suffering from gender confusion need help and guidance.”
“The Chloe Cole Act makes it more likely they will get that assistance and ends the perverse incentives for hospitals and gender clinics to make money off of mutilating children, an industry that makes billions every year,” she added.
The proposed bill follows a January 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to cut all federal funding of the “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children and take action to end “gender-affirming care” being practiced on children.